The United States and Japan will step up their defence cooperation to deal with the threat from nuclear-armed North Korea as tensions in East Asia remain high, officials from the two allies said on Thursday.

WA Labor defends 'stupid' medi-hotel push

The West Australian opposition has promised to build one of the state's first medi-hotels and a new family birth centre at Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth's southern suburbs at a cost of $40 million.

However Labor health spokesman Roger Cook has had to defend the party's push for metropolitan medi-hotels, which are for patients discharged from hospital but still recovering, after Kalgoorlie-Boulder doctors labelled the plan "a stupid idea" and "political blah blah".

The doctors say more local resources in country areas are what is really needed.

Mr Cook conceded on Friday that regional patients would rather be treated closer to home but said the reality was many were forced to travel to Perth for complex operations.

"When that's needed, we've got to make sure we've got the best services for them," he told reporters.

Health Minister John Day said Labor's plan was at best a very low priority as the Liberals were already adding beds to hospitals, expanding services in regional WA and supporting patients who had to go to Perth for care.

Mr Day said the opposition had now made $105 million worth of commitments at Joondalup, Fiona Stanley and Royal Perth hospitals, claiming they would be paid for with existing and new funds.